“Young Master!” The horse carriage stopped as Qi Zi spoke to Luo Wei from outside, “There’s a wedding palanquin in front of us, they’re bringing the bride home for the night, should we let them go before us?”
Luo Wei opened the door to the carriage, “Let’s yield so they can go ahead, this is an important event for a person’s life, we’re just going home, and are in no hurry.”
Luo Wei and Wei Lan stepped out of the carriage, and Qi Zi quickly drove the horse to the side of road.
“This is tradition in the capital,” Luo Wei squeezed himself in between the crowd gathered to watch the procession. He explained to Wei Lan, “A new bride can come back for a last visit on the day of her wedding. After this, other than weddings, births, and deaths, she can no longer come back.”
Wei Lan asked, “She can’t return home normally?”
“A girl who’s been married out is like water poured into a river, once you go there’s no returning,” Luo Wei pulled Wei Lan as he attempted to squeeze to the front of the ground, “The wedding palanquins in the capital are the prettiest in all of Greater Zhou. Come, let me show you.”
“The bride’s here!” A group of little kids clapped their hands together and yelled from the street corner.
Wei Lan saw a palanquin decorated in all red pa.s.sing before him. The side of the vehicle was painted with hundreds of flowers, so real they almost seemed alive. Wei Lan had seen wedding palanquins a few times in city streets and villages, but like Luo Wei said, this was really the most beautiful he’d ever seen.
“Hey, there’s wedding candy,” Luo Wei nudged Wei Lan with his elbow.
“It’s time to grab for the candy!” Someone somewhere yelled, and those who were gathered to watch the procession all raised their hands, trying to grab the candy being strewn into the air by the bride-groom’s family.
“Young master!” Wei Lan saw Luo Wei following a few kids, trying to get a s.p.a.ce even further front of the crowd.
“Big brother Wei, where’s the young master?” Qi Zi arrived at this time with a few guards, having finally managed to get past the crowd and found Wei Lan.
Wei Lan pointed to the front, anxiously, “He went to get wedding candy.”
Qi Zi felt he’d gone stupid suddenly, and the few guards from the Chancellor’s estate all felt much the same. Did a young master of the senior chancellor’s estate really need to bring himself luck by partaking in a commoner’s wedding? What was the third young master thinking?
Wei Lan instructed, “All of you wait here, I’ll go find him up front.”
“Let’s look together,” Qi Zi said, “Who knows where he got himself to!”
In the time that it took for the few of them to peer at the crowd on tip-toes, Luo Wei had already managed to squeeze himself back out of the crowd again. The clothes he wore had a dirty smudge from rubbing against someone in the crowd.
“Are you alright?” Wei Lan quickly pulled Luo Wei to his side.
“Look,” Luo Wei opened his hands to show Wi Lan.
Wei Lan and Qi Zi’s group all stared, at the center of Luo Wei’s hands lay two wedding candies, wrapped in red wax-paper.
“This one’s for you,” Luo Wei pa.s.sed one to Wei Lan, and kept one for himself.
Qi Zi harrumphed at the side.
“I only got two,” Luo Wei tossed a look at Qi Zi, “If you want one, you can go and grab some yourself.”
“The wedding party’s all gone,” Qi Zi said, “Where am I supposed to grab them from?”
“Aren’t there plenty on the ground?” Luo Wei pointed at a group of children all crouched down, trying to find the last of the candies, “You can go and just pick them up.”
“No need,” Qi Zi rubbed his nose, “Young Master, there’s plenty of candy back at the house.”
“These are wedding candies,” Luo Wei showed off the candy in front of Qi Zi’s face, “It’s not the same as the candy at home.”
Qi Zi could only roll his eyes now. It’s just candy, why is it any different?
“Let’s get going,” Luo Wei looked at the people who haven’t yet dissipated from the hubbub, still gathered on the road, then said to Qi Zi and the rest, “It’s going to be sundown before the bride returns to her husband’s home, are you guys waiting to be witnesses on their wedding night?”
Qi Zi took the guards and walked to the front of their entourage. This third young master wasn’t a bully anymore, but he still had a mouth on him!
“Lan,” Luo Wei tugged Wei Lan who walked in front of him.
“What is it?” Wei Lan asked, then a piece of too-sweet hard candy suddenly appeared in his mouth.
“Taste it,” Luo Wei laughed quietly, “Let’s hope some of that luck rubs off on us.”
Wei Lan looked at the candy in his own hand, then peeled the wax-paper off, feeding the piece of milk-white candy to Luo Wei, “Young master, you should taste it too.”
“Lan, when my big brother’s wedding is finished, let’s go to Xu Zhou,” Luo Wei said to Wei Lan as he sucked on the candy in his mouth.
“There’s nothing to see there,” Wei Lan said rather too earnestly.
Luo Wei shook his hand at Wei Lan, “I just want to see where Lan grew up is all.”
TRANSLATOR’S NOTES:
Sorry for the long wait!!!!
The last few weeks have been so difficult, sorry for the sudden lack of updates. Long story short, I did end up quitting my other job, and found a new one that pays more, and the manager is very good with letting me know times for my shifts. However, I’ve had to work at both jobs this past week because I needed to start in the new place earlier to get my position, and couldn’t leave the last job because they’ve scheduled me in for another week. :((
But I’m glad to be back and glad to be translating this again. : ) Hope I will able to keep going and bring you guys lots of chapters when things start settling down at work next week!! <3 Thank you all for your patience! ?